Washing machine agitator



Jan. 8, 1963 c. l. PLATT ETAL 3,071,955

WASHING MACHINE AGITATOR Filed July 27, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 8, 1963 c. l. PLATT ETAL WASHING MACHINE AGITATOR Filed July 27, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MN I United States Patent Ofilice 3,071,955 Patented Jan. 8, 1963 3,071,955 WASHING MACHINE AGITATSR Clark 1. Platt, Benton Harbor, Ernest B. Ruble, St. Joseph, and Vincent C. Mandarino, Jr., Benton Harbor, Mich., assignors to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed July 27, 1961, Ser. No. 127,342 6 Claims. (CI. 68-53) This invention relates to an agitator for a washing machine.

In one type of washing machine where clothes are laundered in a washing liquid such as an aqueous detergent solution agitation is achieved by employing a vertically reciprocable agitator. Then, pumping means are provided adjacent the bottom of the container in which the detergent solution and clothes are contained to direct the washing solution outwardly in a radial direction from a vertical axis along the bottom of the container. The vertical reciprocation of the agitator combined with the pumping action pulls the clothes downwardly along the agitator, outwardly toward the sides of the container and then radially inwardly toward the agitator to complete the flow path.

It has been found that in these vertically reciprocable agitators the agitator itself extends to whip the washing solution into an excessive foam, because the vertical reciprocation f the agitator not only pulls the load downwardly but also pulls in air and mixes it with the low surface tension washing solution. The attempts to solve this problem in the past have been limited to using low sudsing detergents.

The agitator of the present invention successfully solves this excessive sudsing action in Washing machines with vertically reciprocable agitators so that any desired detergent can be used without fear of excessive sudsing.

One of the features of this invention therefore is to provide an improved vertically reciprocable agitator for a washing machine. 7

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view illustrating pertinent parts of a washing machine having an agitator embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of a second embodiment of the agitator.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2 the washing machine comprises an imperforate basket 11 supported on a frame 12. There is provided a vertically extending shaft 13 in the washing machine that is rotatable by an electric motor 14 positioned beneath the frame 12. Surrounding the shaft 13 is a generally cylindrical agitator 15 that carries a cam follower 16 extending radially of the shaft 13 and engaging a cam track 17 on the outer surface of the shaft. This provision of the cam track and cam follower causes vertical reciprocation of the agitator 15 in the manner illustrated in Walton Patent 2,770,118.

Mounted on the shaft 13 adjacent the bottom 18 of the basket 11 is a centrifugal pump 19 within a pump housing 20. The pump housing has an inlet portion 21 surrounding the bottom of the shaft 13 and itself is surrounded by the hollow bottom of the agitator 15. Extending between the top of the inlet portion 21 of the pump and abearing support member 22 at the top of the shaft 13 is a plurality of vertical shafts 23 which support the bearing support member 22 and in turn the bearing 22a. 7

Extending upwardly from the bearing support member 22 is a plurality of brackets 24 on which is mounted by means of a removable bolt 25 a cap 26 having an outer cylindrical side 27 extending downwardly around and beneath the top 28 of the agitator 15.

In order to prevent excessive sudsing in the washing solution 29 in which the clothes are suspended, as indicated at 30, the agitator 15 comprises a plurality of radially extending vanes 31 that are spaced from each other to provide liquid flow passages between the vanes so that liquid may be drawn inwardly between the vanes as indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 1 and into the inlet portion 21 of the pump to be expelled outwardly radially along the bottom 18 of the basket 11 by the rotating pump 19.

With the vanes constructed in this manner the vanes move through the liquid 29 smoothly without carrying with them excessive quantities of air from the atmosphere above the liquid level. In effect the vanes may be said to knife through the solution'and the smooth sides 32 of each vane agitate the liquid to only a minimum amount.

Each vane 31 is provided with an outer edge 33 shaped to provide a series of downwardly facing stepped portions 34 extending from beneath the normal liquid level to adjacent the bottom of the agitator 15. In the preferred construction these stepped portions for each vane are'of decreasing depth from an upper part of the vane to the bottom of the vane. With this arrangement the portions 34 engage the clothes and move them downwardly through the washing solution 29 toward the bottom of the tub 11 where they are caught in the radial stream flowing from the pump 19. This stream tends to move the clothes out toward the side wall 35 and up along this wall and then back toward the agitator 15 as is shown by the illustrative arrows in FIGURE 1.

The agitator 15 is preferably made of a molded plastic such as Bakelite. It is preferred that the vanes 31 be kept fairly thin with the preferred thickness of each vane being approximately to inch. In the agitator the vanes are tied together by an upper cylindrical and integral collar 36 surrounding the shaft 13 and the shaft 23, by an intermediate cylindrical portion 37 immediately adjacent the shaft 13 and also integral with the vanes and a lower portion 38 at the bottom of the agitator and surrounding the inlet portion 21 of the pump. In order to give added strength to the agitator four of the vanes illustrated at 39 which are equally spaced around the agitator are somewhat thicker than the remaining vanes.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 3 the agitator 40 is provided with a plurality of vanes similar to the vanes 31 and 39 and is also provided with downwardly facing stepped portions 41. In this embodiment, however, the portions of the edge 42 of each vane are provided with generally upwardly facing smoothly rounded serrations 43. These serve to give an added scrubbing action to the clothes as they move downwardly along these edges 42 in the manner described earlier in conjunction with the first embodiment of the invention.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 3 each vane edge 42 has at the bottom an outwardly and downwardly sloped surface as indicated at 44. These series of projections serve to agitate any dead water area that might occur between the last stepped portion 34 of an agitator such as 15 and the pump housing 20. These projections also direct the downwardly traveling clothes outwardly so they can be caught by the stream of liquid coming from the pump and not be held in the space above the pump housing illustrated at 20 in FIGURE 1.

The agitator in both embodiments is generally cylindrical and the outer edges of the vanes are substantially cylindrically aligned as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

Having described our invention as related to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it is our intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description, unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

We claim:

1. In a Washing machine for laundering clothes in a Washing liquid, a vertically reciprocable agitator comprising: a body member having radially extending smooth sided vertical vanes spaced from each other to provided vertical liquid flow passages therebetween, with each vane having an outer edge shaped to provide a series of downwardly facing stepped portions.

2. The agitator of claim 1 wherein said stepped portions for each vane are of decreasing depth from an upper part of the vane to the bottom of said vane.

3. In a washing machine for laundering clothes in a washing liquid, a vertically reciprocable agitator comprising: a body member having radially extending smooth sided vertical vanes spaced from each other to provide vertical liquid flow passages therebetween, with each vane having an outer edge shaped to provide a series of downwardly facing smoothly rounded serrations between said stepped portions.

4. In a washing machine for laundering clothes in a washing liquid including a container with a bottom and a pump adjacent said bottom rotatable about an axis for directing liquid in a path radially along said bottom, a vertically reciprocable agitator comprising: A generally cylindrical body member above and coaxial with said pump having radially extending smooth sided vertical vanes spaced from each other to provide vertical liquid flow passages therebetween for flow of liquid into said pump, with each vane having an outer edge shaped to provide a series of downwardly facing stepped portions of decreasing depth from an upper part of the vane to the bottom of said vane.

5. In a washing machine for laundering clothes in a washing liquid including a container with a bottom and a pump adjacent said bottom rotatable about an axis for directing liquid in a path radially along said bottom, a vertically reciprocable agitator comprising: a generally cylindrical body member above and coaxial with said pump having radially extending smooth sided vertical vanes spaced from each other to provide vertical liquid flow passages therebetween for fiow of liquid into said pump, with each vane having an outer edge shaped to provide a series of downwardly facing stepped portions of decreasing depth from an upper part of the vane to the bottom of said vane, each said vane edge having an outwardly and downwardly sloped portion adjacent its bottom and above said path.

6. In a washing machine for laundering clothes in a washing liquid including a container with a bottom and a pump adjacent said bottom rotatable about an axis for directing liquid in a path radially along said bottom, an agitator comprising: a generally cylindrical body member above and coaxial with said pump having radially extending smooth sided vertical vanes spaced from each other to provide vertical liquid flow passages therebetween for flow of liquid into said pump, with each vane having an outer edge shaped to provide a series of downwardly facing stepped portions of decreasing depth from an upper part of the vane to the bottom of said vane, each said vane edge having an outwardly and downwardly sloped portion adjacent its bottom and above said path and each said vane edge having upwardly facing smoothly rounded serrations between said stepped portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A WASHING MACHINE FOR LAUNDERING CLOTHES IN A WASHING LIQUID, A VERTICALLY RECIPROCABLE AGITATOR COMPRISING: A BODY MEMBER HAVING RADIALLY EXTENDING SMOOTH SIDED VERTICAL VANES SPACED FROM EACH OTHER TO PROVIDED VERTICAL LIQUID FLOW PASSAGES THEREBETWEEN, WITH EACH VANE 